Village History

Boys Village was founded in 1947 by members of the Lake Charles Optimist Club. Walter Phillips, a man well known in the Lake Charles community in the late 1940’s, joined a newly organized civic group called “The Downtown Optimist Club of Lake Charles”.

Former Boys Village Resident Succeeds

Vinh (Nguyen) Alexander, local Lake Charles photographer and commercial artist, lived at Boys Village from 1981-1984. His childhood journey on the way to Boys Village reads like a tragic history lesson.